雨の日の金属の衝突Sands Drift Through the Wind
by what-is-the-color-of-love
Summary: Edward is a piano player, he ran away from the military when Al got his body back, but Al's missing. Last seen in Xing. Celeste and Danny, two girls involved in newer alchemy, help find Al, face challenges, and discover a new enemy of all lands. Ah!
1. Chapter 1

**1923**

He enjoyed playing piano most. His skill was unmatched, even by the top students of the most elite schools. What stunned most was that he had never been trained, that is one of the reasons she had asked her father to let her travel. So she could witness his tour. He traveled all around Amestris playing his music. Usually all she had was a pair of clothes and her violin with her, nothing else but the papers she needed for her citizenship. Being that she was Drachman.

OoO

She sighed, the train was taking a little longer than needed be to arrive, she was going to be late to his next performance. Then she heard it, it was pulling into the massive station. She smiled brightly, and ran to the boarding area. But a person caught her eye. A man with a long black braid, it was cool, the braid. It nearly went to his hip. She boarded the train and reluctantly sat in a booth on her left. It was relatively empty, save for one person, the man with the braid. She scooted to the window and shed her jacket, placing it upon her lap.

She put her right hand over her left one, being that it would hurt the other way; her left was automail. Her violin in its case lay before her on the table as she pulled out bread from her coat. it was a day or so old but still tasted right, not entirely stale.

Her pale violet eyes wandered over to the man who was looking at what seemed to be a small pocket-sized notebook. She sighed once more, and not the last time, that day, and brushed her fiery hair out of her face. His gaze lifted and she moved her hands to her sides, placing them on the wooden seat. The man seemed to react to an unheard sound, and looked at her face, her porcelain skin shimmering in the rainy day's remaining light.

"May I see your hand?" he asked in a calm voice, his eyes seemed curious, golden iris swirling with molten amber.

"Why?" she replied, her voice an octave higher than normal.

A smile played at the edge of his lips. "Your automail, it didn't make much of a sound. You've had it what-three, four years?" he prompted the statement, ignoring her question.

"Three and a half." she spoke calmer now. Her right hand grasping the black laced glove over her metal hand. "I can't move it well though." she told him.

"You want to know a secret about controlling it?" he asked her, his smile finally breaking free.

"How?" she looked him in the eye. He smiled and stood, stretched both arms and placed his hands on the table.

"Let me see your hand first." he said and she gave, to be able to control her hand more was a good thing. She slid her glove off and extended her arm to him. He smiled and sat next to her, his hands gently held hers, as if that if he wasn't careful it would break. He looked more serious now that involved her hand. "Why do you carry around a violin if you don't have the self esteem to play?" he asked.

"I-I don't know, I used to place before I lost my hand. That was when I came to the country." she looked down in her own shame.

"But that's, the secret to controlling your hand. You need self confidence. Something that'll tie you to the mundane strength in you." he gave her hand back. "I know, I had to learn the hard way and had little time to do so." he slid out of the booth and went to sit across from her.

He pulled his braid from behind him and twirled the end in his left hand. She didn't understand what he had meant. "What do you do?" she asked him and he glanced up from his reopened book.

"I'm a journalist. What about you?" he uttered and went back to his book.

"I guess I'm a traveler, I haven't stayed in one place long enough to do anything. I get money from what I can do around a small town and leave on the next train." she began to slide her glove on, "I plan on someday being able to play again." she looked at her violin in longing. "I was kinda popular in western Drachma. I was really good." she admitted to him.

"Maybe, someday." he mumbled the words. He looked focused on what was in his notebook, like it was really important. He mumbled something that wasn't directed at her before he stood, "You should have someone looked at your wiring soon, I think you've a bit long without a check. Tearing wires could mess up your progress." she smiled at him as he smiled back as he retreated down the isle and she heard the door open, suspecting he had left. She pulled her own pad from her coat pocket and complied to drawing with her dull pencil.

She listened for hours as it made stops in the towns between her destination in East City. People got on and off, talk with one another, and move from seat to seat. She shifted in her seat from time to time, get restless or numb in places.

It got oddly quiet when a man in military uniform entered the car. He sighed and sat across from me, being that my booth was closest to empty and near the door.

He had raven hair that was very messy and fell in his face. The newly arrived man appeared to be in his early thirties, couldn't be much older than that. His onyx eyes dulled with exhaustion, and his breathing uneven as if he had ran to the station. He unbuttoned the top of his uniform and tugged around the color of the black shirt he wore under it.

"Are you okay?" I asked him and his eye flickered towards me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he said and began taking deep breaths to calm himself. At the other end of the car, the door slammed open. "Mustang!" another man yelled. The guy across from me yelled. "Here!" The other man arrived, panting as much as the first.

"Damn, Major General, you need to slow your ass down." the man with dirty blonde hair sighed as he put his unlit cigarette behind his ear.

"You know if I did that Colonel would kill me, crazy chicks and their guns." the black haired man, presumably Major General Mustang, spoke.

"Um, miss, you don't mind if we sit here, do you?" the blonde man asked.

"No, go ahead." she mumbled and leaned closer to the window.

"So Mustang, are you sure he's in east city. You know these types of things aren't necessarily handed out to military officers. What if someone said this to move us away." the blonde asked.

"I doubt that, Havoc." Mustang turned to her. "Martin Law is playing his piano concert in East city today isn't he?"

"Yes, two days." she said and looked at the two men. "Why? You know you can't stop the concert just because you're military. There are masses that would stop you. Anyone would understand that, especially musicians who know his talent. It's hard to get where he is, and to be untrained, it's remarkable." she told them and blushed at her small outbursts.

"Yeah, we doubt that." Havoc muttered.

"I don't, Havoc. It is our motto, 'Be thou for the people', its only natural." Mustang told the blonde. "How long have you had that alchemic array on your automail?" he asked the girl, who was a good ten years younger than his thirty-three.

"I've always had it." she told him.

"Who are you?" Mustang asked.

"I'm Celeste Bankov." the girl told the man. "I'm twenty-two." she said as if she had read his mind, and listened when the rusty speakers came on.

"We'll be arriving in East City soon." the speaker made a shuffling sound before it was cut off. Celeste smiled scooted herself out of her seat and turned to the men who had sat across from her.

"Don't stop it. You can get him after the fact. Too many people love, or need his music." she said and walked to the door. One of the conductors were already out there, keeping too many people from trying to get off early. As soon as the train stopped however, the conductor moved out of the way for the impatient people. Celeste tried to take my time and not get knocked over in the process, after not succeeding a few times she quickened her pace and got off, out of the way of people, and towards one of the pillars to lean on.

Once she had caught her breath she began her trek to the nearest inn. It wasn't long before the sun began to set, she ran hurriedly to the inn down the way. She got a room and put down her bag before pulling her coat on, a prepared to leave for the night. She grabbed her violin and exited the room and ran down the stairs, and out of the inn. It was in the middle of East City, and only in a few hours.

Mustang fidgeted at the table where he and Havoc sat. They had called Hawkeye half an hour ago and she'd yet to arrive. The names swirled around in Roy's head. Then one stood out among all.

"Damn it all!" Mustang shouted and stood to leave, Havoc following suit though a little confused. The two were walking down the street before the blonde lit a cigarette and spoke to Roy.

"What's wrong, sir?" he asked Roy and the man shook his head and sighed before he spoke.

"That girl on the train. I thought here name sounded familiar, so I've been thinking about it. She's Celeste Bankov, the famous violinist, daughter of Mikahel Bankov, General Mikahel Bankov. The one who covered up the Drachman bombing a few miles west of Fort Briggs, and the terrorist attacks in Creta." Mustang explained. Havoc listened before he took in another draw.

"So basically what you're saying is, that a very dangerous Drachman's daughter may try to kill the Chief?" Havoc mumbled.

"Basically, yes." Roy turned his head to Riza, who apparently heard their talk. "So what we need to do is have Havoc try and find the girl, and Roy and I will go try and find Chief." she said and tossed Havoc a brown paper package, "Undercover please." Havoc saluted the two superior officers and jogged off.

Roy watched Havoc leave, but before Havoc even rounded the corner Riza was pulling him in another direction. "We need to go look for the Chief." she said and snarled when Mustang mumbled something about women being control freaks.

The two walked down a busy street before Mustang asked Riza, "Do you know where we're going?"

"Yes, unlike you I have ways of getting things without causing too much trouble in the public." Riza told him and turned a corner. "You see, I knew there were no big enough stadiums. So I looked on roofs." she said, indicating the roof of the city hall, with lights a really tall stand, and on top of that- a piano.

OoO

Celeste stared at the piano atop the city hall. It was kind of unbelievable that they would go so far as to put a piano on top of that, but apparently he was just this big.

OoO

Martin Law walked across the roof, gravel crunching under his feet. His long golden braid swing on his back as he moved. The piano before him gleamed from the bright lights. He thought of how his black suit was a bad idea under the hot lights but his red tie kind of made it worth it. People shouted at they saw him, he chuckled to himself. He sat and removed his gloves, one automail hand gleaming in the light. He laid his hands on the ivory keys and let out his breath before slamming down on them.

OoO

Mustang and Hawkeye stood there as 'Martin Law' walked to the piano and began playing, no one had known he could play back in the military.

OoO

Havoc was a few feet away from Celeste when Chief started playing, his jaw didn't drop but his cigarette did fall from his mouth. Celeste somehow caught it and handed it back. "I wish I could still play," she told him and he nodded as he took the cigarette into his fingers.

"Yeah, I wish he had told us he could play." he uttered.

OoO

His finger glided harmfully across the keys, his closed eyes fluttering with each stroke. Music was his new passion, and he loved it. More than anything. He slammed down on the piano and listened to the crowd quiet. He couldn't hear anything else, only the music.

OoO

Mustang walked towards with Hawkeye to the building as people swayed to the sound of music. They went to the side of the building and climbed the escape ladder, every step careful, Mustang uneasy about his gloves causing him to slip. When he reached the top he didn't believe who he saw. From a distance it could have been, just a few inches taller. But this man had a young but wise face, no longer arrogant with eyes burning with determination, and his bangs only swept to one side and her tucked behind his pierced ear. Hawkeye went up after Mustang and stared at the barely familiar one.

OoO

He opened his eyes as the song ended and smiled at the two soldiers, "Hey," he said. He put his gloves on and stared at the alchemist and sniper. Old friends or foes, he did not know. But he knew they wanted him.

OoO

"FullMetal." Mustang mumbled the words.

OoO

Havoc did drop his jaw this time, and the cigarette. Celeste patted him back as she shook hew head. "That's inappropriate, you should have better manners."

OoO

Ed stood from his seat and turned to the masses, bowed and walked to the two officers. "What?" he asked. Riza looked like she was going to cry, Ed sighed when a tear spilled from her eye and held out his arms, Riza acknowledge the gesture and hugged the younger boy. Roy watched them, then looked out at the crowd and spotted Havoc talking to Celeste, the foreign musician.

"FullMetal, we need to go, it's important." Mustang said and Ed nodded, Riza backed away and let the two men start down the ladder before she went.

OoO

The three from the roof met with Havoc, followed by Celeste, in the alley next to the hall. The girl seemed pretty shocked to be so close, which made Ed smirk.

"Yo, Chief." Havoc saluted the man. Ed smiled and took the cigarette from the Lieutenant.

"They're going to kill you." he explained after getting an angry look. All eyes then went to Celeste. She looked a little flushed and opened her mouth to speak but Ed did so first.

"Celeste Bankov, sorry I couldn't properly introduce myself on the train." he smiled a handsome grin and held out his right gloved hand. Her cheeks reddened and she took his hand and her brow curled in confusion. The gentleness of the cold and hard hand confused her.

"Yes, thank you for your advice." she bowed her head as she held her fisted left hand at her side.

"It was all I could give to someone who had problems with it, it could've been worse though. The array was breaking, that could've been dangerous." he said and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Mustang, what's so important to pull me from my mission as a musician?"

Mustang glanced at Celeste and then spoke, "Your brother disappeared about a week ago. We thought you would want to help." Ed's eyes narrowed, and then slowly closed.

"Are you positive he's missing?" he said and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We're positive," Hawkeye said. Ed shifted his weight to the left leg and thought it over as he held his left arm with the right.

"I'll come with you, but why is Celeste here?"

"Bomb scare." Havoc mumbled while looking around like he was innocent or something. Riza swore under her breath and tried to ignore the smoker.

"I'm confused." Celeste exclaimed. "Why would a musician be involved with the military?" she asked the three.

Ed smiled and shrugged, his pocketed hands gesturing outward, as if he was deliberately trying to show the red inside of his blazer, "Because I am the infamous FullMetal Alchemist, Miss Bankov." he bowed sarcastically.

"Elric!" Hawkeye grunted. She was obviously frustrated at the men. The younger alchemist flinched at the angry woman's voice, "Be serious, you're brother's missing." the boy stood up straight, already a few inches taller than Hawkeye, Roy's height.

"Yes ma'am." he said and slouched his shoulders before walking down the alley away from the crowds at the other end. "Celeste, let's go. I need to sleep before I go anywhere and by your lack of baggage I'm guessing you have a place." he called back and the red haired girl walked quickly after him, her black dress making as much sound as her silent shoes. Hawkeye watched after him as Roy and Jean talked.

"…and I mean, yeah Rebecca's nice and all but she's…what's the word?" Jean rambled on while Roy listened from a far away place in his mind.

"Controlling?" Roy suggested.

"Yeah, that's it!" Jean declared.

OoO

"Um, Edward, why are you coming with me?" Celeste asked the young alchemist.

"Because, unlike the others, I kinda know your dad and know you have a place to sleep tonight." he said, his voice seemed distant, like his mind was on something else entirely.

"Oh, how do you know my father?" she asked Ed.

"I met him some while ago in Creta, actually. He was a nice man, I guess." he said and almost ran into a tall man, Celeste pulling him out of the way seconds before. "Nice reflexes." he told her.

The other man looked at the two, and continued on his way. "Yeah, I guess." she said and began walking beside him once more.

They reached the inn soon and were going up the wooden stairs. Ed let her unlock the door and walked in before she had a chance to. She sighed, again, and walked in slowly after him. Once she had locked the door behind herself she finally got the chance to survey the room. It was an average inn, one bed, vanity, chair, window, dresser, and door to the bath.

She took off her coat and placed it on the hook at the back of the door, walked to the bed so she could sit and take off her shoes. She turned to the alchemist; she'd heard that he was a hot tempered child with an adult's job a while back but hadn't heard anything of him in a while, like he had disappeared. That would explain a lot, having a false name and nothing to do with alchemy.

Edward was totally ignoring the girl. Busy undoing his braid from the string that held it, and using that string to tie it up. As he removed one arm from his blazer, he used the other to start undoing his tie. He looked slower, maybe, than he had on the train. Like his brother's disappearance really meant that much.

She chose to push that thought out of mind as she pulled the pin that was holding her hair up, out, causing her hair to fall down to the middle of her back. As Celeste took off her gloves she remembered when she shook his hand, how it was obvious he hadn't a real hand there but it was like her hand had been crushed by automail, maybe self confidence did help control it.

Her eyes wandered to the man once more and he looked busy and intent on reading his notes. Oddly enough, he probably had chosen to go with her because she couldn't stop him from staying up. She had no intention of making the alchemist rest, it would find him, but she still feared that if he overdid it he may have problems waking up to start looking for his brother.

"You should get some rest, Edward." she said, finding it awkward to say his name after believing it to be Martin for quite some time.

"I'm thinking." he said and pulled at leg up onto the chair, resting his heel on the edge. He stayed like that for a moment as if he was thinking about whether or not it was even possible.

OoO

It was a while before Roy realized Ed was no longer present. Or the foreigner. Or Jean. "Riza," Roy whispered, Riza gave him her attention, "Where'd they go?"

"We dispersed, I guess you were too busy thinking to realize." she smiled at his mishap.

"Oh." Mustang followed the woman who seemed to be walking with a destination in mind. It wasn't long before Mustang was following her while thinking about infinite possibilities of where the young boy could be.

OoO

Ed glanced at the clock on the wall that declared to be around one in the morning. Moving across the room he found that the girl had fallen asleep. Her violin was at the foot of the bed, the keys on the dresser. He found himself walking to pick up the case and keys, before heading to the roof to see what kinda of sound he could produce in the stillness of a windy night.

OoO

It was faint, but it could still be heard. A rhythm carried by the wind, drifted through the crisp breeze, and fell upon the ears of restless sleepers, waking them but only enough to witness the beauty of magnificence.

OoO

As he pulled the bow across the strings one last time he allowed himself to become aware of the presence of another on the roof with him.

"I guess you came to claim you instrument." he spoke to her as she stood near the door.

"Yes, I have." she told him, "But I must say, you are man of many talents." he smiled as he knelt and carefully lay the piece in the case. Closing it just as delicately.

As he handed her the case, "What of you, Miss Bankov?" he opened the door and held it there, "Ladies first." Celeste nodded and stepped inside, holding the case to her chest, shivering in fear.

They traveled down the stairs and Ed watched the girl. What were her talents? She must've had good hearing to have caught the sound of the music as the wing beat down on the outside. Her steps barely made a sound, she was almost like a ghost. What could she do?

OoO

Mustang and Hawkeye studied the documents and files into the wee hours on the morning. After scribbling out words and jotting down names, Riza finally passed out and almost fell out of her chair in the process. Mustang just barely catching her and sitting her into the chair in the corner, giving her something to lean on.

Mustang continued with the work as they went. One name stood out amongst the others though, Hakuro, Nathaniel. He was reported to had died in his cell, but in all of the file Hawkeye and he had looked at his name was neither marked out or covered with the letters from a stamp to express his death. He pondered the thought of waking up Riza or not, or to go to FullMetal to discuss the situation, but he didn't know where the boy was, or the girl he had left with. He didn't know where Jean was either, so all that left was Riza who undoubtedly knew where all three were.

He decided to make a stack, every file that Hakuro showed up in would be in that stack. He was their greatest suspect, but telling everyone would have to wait for morning.

OoO

Ed walked through East HQ, it had been a while but he was sure he knew where the office was. The nice girl who had just let him come in with her was probably looking for him if not in any trouble already. He had on a fedora that covered most oh his face and had tucked his braid into it. Nobody so far had noticed who he was, and hopefully wouldn't until he got where he wanted to be.

He knocked on the door of the room he believed with much of his being was the right one, waited and felt a little relieved when the door opened and he saw who he wanted, the Fuhrer, Fuhrer Grumman to be exact.

"Yes? Who are you?" the second question had more of a raised tone, loud and scared. The old man stood from his seat and put his hands on the desk. The lady who had been standing at his desk reached into her uniform jacket and pulled a handgun out.

"Forgive me Fuhrer, sir." Edward held a hand over his heart and bowed. His long brown jacket and usual man of the street clothing his him well, no longer wearing the unusually bright coat, and ridiculously tall shoes. He removed the hat that adorned his head and allowed the braid that has stayed with him since he began his journey as an alchemist, fall over his shoulder and slightly smiled a bit.

"You? You!" Grumman said excitedly. He ran around the desk and pulled his comrade up, "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Mustang came out east to tell me my brother's missing." he told the Fuhrer, the old man's dace fell.

"Yes, we've had some people out looking for him. The last place he was seen was in the east actually, Xing to be exact." Grumman informed the man and picked up a letter off of the desk. "Emperor Yao sent us this letter personally, that he would cooperate fully in the aide of finding Alphonse. Mostly by the nagging of Miss Chang, who is apparently fond of your brother."

"Yes," Ed paused, "do you think I could be reinstated?" the old man's eyes lit up.

"You never resigned, but I think you'll have to wear the uniform." he laughed evilly. The blonde sighed and nodded.

"Yes sir." he said. The woman stood there, watching the men, confused.

"Fuhrer, who is this?" the woman asked. Her long russet hair pinned back allowed a few bangs to fall out. Her brow curled in confusion.

"This, May Anne, is Edward Elric; the FullMetal Alchemist." the woman almost dropped her jaw, her brown eyes widened.

"Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist? I thought he had disappeared." she said, she slowly put her gun in the holster.

"I had left, after I got my brother back, I left." he told her. Grumman huffed and smiled at the woman.

"We should get you fixed up and put into the swing of things. I assume you're going to be in the field?" the Fuhrer spoke to the boy a good fifty years younger that he.

"Yes sir." the boy nodded and followed the old man as he exited the room and began leading Ed around his newly resumed workplace.

OoO

The girl was only twenty, she had gotten her state certification only two months ago and had yet been assigned a superior officer to push her around and direct her. She sat towards the front of the building, waiting for some kind of orders. She didn't know why she wanted to become a State Alchemist, she had nothing to do, no goals.

That was when Miss May Anne came up to her and began speaking to her and handing her a case file. "You will be assigned to Edward, he should come around here some time soon, has a long yellow braid. This case is important, if you mess up I would disappear as soon as I could." she said and sauntered off. The girl tucked her short black hair behind her ear.

OoO

Edward fidgeted with his collar, he ran back to a uniform room and grabbed one of the black undershirts. The long sleeves and the firm fit of the shirt kept enough decency on him to not have to put on the itchy uniform top. He walked down the familiar hallways to where Grumman had told him to go look for his partner. She was supposed to be kinda short and have really black hair, pale and bright green eyes; her name was Danny, short for something. He wondered if she had to wear the uniform too, probably, she was stuck in the office areas.

Walking around the halls he began to hear more chatter, then he turned the corner watched as men and women, mostly women, ran around talking to each other and reading cases before filing them. He stopped at the first desk and asked the woman sitting there, "I need to see Danny B."

"Um, she's that way." the lady pointed to the other end of the office, the only one not running around like a monkey. She was staring out the window with a look of boredom on her face.

"Thank you." he bowed and made his way across the long room, holding his shirt in his hand. He stopped in front of her small desk and tapped his finger on it. She looked at him and a blush rose to her face, apparently just being in the issued undershirt was embarrassing for a girl to see.

"What do you need?" she asked quietly. Looking up at him some of her bangs fell in her face.

"You're Danny right?" Ed asked her, she nodded slowly, "May Anne assigned you to me for this mission, she gave you the file right?" her eyes grew a little wide at the mention of the file. She looked in the small basket on her desk and rummaged through it.

"Um, it's not here, it was here just a few minutes ago." she said and looked in another basket. "I'm sorry it seems someone must have taken it or something." she mumbled and crossed her hands on her lap.

Ed nodded to her and turned to the bustling room, "Excuse me." he said calmly, then again, "Excuse me!" he said it louder and heads turned to him. "I'm Brigadier General Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist. It seems somebody has _lost _an important file. If I don't have it in my hands in ten minutes all of you will be court marshaled, and if it's not found, not only will that happen to you, but I will kill you personally for keeping me from finding my brother." he yelled at the people and they started running around to their desks and looking on the floor.

One woman, quite the jealous looking one. Holding a manila folder in her hands gave it to Ed and spoke, "I didn't think that doing that would get us all in trouble. I just wanted to get her out of the military, we don't need her." she said and looked angrily at Danny. "At least you'll be out of the office." she smiled and walked away.

"Miss, please come with me." Ed said calmly to Danny and she slowly stood, he handed her the file. He walked out and went towards the office designated Mustang's. he pushed the wooden doors open and Fuery stood up and got tangled in his headset.

"Sir, everyone but Mustang and Hawkeye are out." he stuttered. Ed smiled at Fuery and kept walking, lightly knocking on Mustang's door before opening it, Danny following him nervously.

Mustang was talking to Hawkeye when Ed came in, the man had a short girl following him, probably only five feet. "Yo, Mustang, Hawkeye."

"FullMetal, who's this?" Mustang asked and Hawkeye nodded in agreement.

"This is Danny Baske, the Scarred Sky Alchemist." Ed spoke before Danny, surprising her. "She became an alchemist two months ago, just got assigned to me for the case of finding Al." he chuckled and put a hand to his face.

"What?" Mustang asked, looked around and then back at the alchemist. "What?"

"Your, hair." Ed started laughing, and then Hawkeye grinned.

"Your hair does look ridiculous, what happened?" she asked Mustang.

"I didn't do anything, it was mother, she made me slick it back today." he said and grumbled something under his breath before smiling at Danny. "So, you're stuck under FullMetal until he finds his brother, why haven't you already been assigned to someone before?" he asked her.

"I don't know, but I guess this is better than being stuck in that retched office." she said and looked at the file. "Wait, this mission is to look for Alphonse Elric? When did he go missing?" she asked Hawkeye was the one to answer.

"A few days over a week, he was last seen in Xing. The emperor offered help, he's sending his half-sister, Miss Chang to assist us." the blonde sighed and undid the clip in her hair, "Speaking of hair, I've got to start wearing my hair down or something. Ed, what's it like having your hair in a braid every day?"

"I don't have it braided every day, I let it down most of the time when I sleep and if I know I'm not doing anything for a while I let it down. It's more efficient in fighting to have it in a neat order, that's why I braid it." he stopped to think, "But I actually don't know why I started to grow it out."

"Does it make you feel taller FullMetal?" Mustang asked, a smile crept up his face.

"Mustang, really?" I'm tall as you now, it doesn't hurt me." Ed said like he truly meant it. "Now I think I should take my leave. Get some more uniforms, and a place to stay. Danny." he called her to follow and walked out.

"Why? Why does he have to do that to me?" Ed asked and gripped the bag of uniforms and the clothes he had worn to the HQ, in his hand as he walked the streets of East City.

"Do what?" he turned to see the owner of the voice. Celeste.

"Mustang, he's getting on my nerves about my height, and I'm as tall as he is now." he said and paused before he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, I was looking for a place to eat." she told him, her quiet voice making her seem more and more delicate. "Would you like to join me?"

"Sure." he answered her and she smiled at him. "Well, I think there're some good restaurants around the city." he walked down the road with Celeste as she told him what had happened over her course of the day.

"I almost broke my violin today." she said as they entered the small joint. A woman told them to sit wherever they liked.

As Edward took off his long black coat and threw it into the booth before sitting answered her, "What were you doing with it?" he asked.

"I tried to play. I was in a park and took it out and was determined to play, it didn't work out well. Edward, can you play for me? I would like to see you do it again." she requested, Ed seemed surprised by the question though. She had been a famous violinist only a few years ago, now she was asking a novice to play violin for her, he had only a few lessons in violin, everything else had came from skill in the musical field.

"Why? You should be able to play on your own." he told her, she nodded as she unbuttoned her beige coat, he black dress puffing out and the lacey ends of the teardrop skirt cried.

"Because you play beautifully, and I have yet to do so since I got my hand. I would love for you to play for me." she replied to him and he slumped in his seat.

"No, I refuse. If you don't have the self-confidence to hold it you shouldn't ask someone to do it for you." Ed explained it once again, "I never had to ask someone to play for me."

"Yes, I'm sorry." she said and slipped her gloves off. "What are you wearing? You weren't wearing it this morning." she asked him.

"My new uniform. I got reinstated into the military at brigadier general." he smiled, "That's a few ranks higher than I was at when I left."

"Really?" Celeste looked at him with her violet eyes, "When did you join the military?"

"I joined when I was twelve, state exams were easily passed and I began a great journey. Once my journey ended my brother went to Xing with the price, now emperor, and his sister. I traveled around to learn about alchemy, my one true passion." he sighed and smiled when the woman brought the two drinks, "But, I gave up once I felt there was nothing I could do to truly enhance my power. I went to my music, it was like the closest thing I could do."

"I've never done alchemy, the only reason I have the circle is because my father's acquaintance made me put it on there." she whispered. "It seems it's exciting."

The door was opened at out of the odd silence, Ed who was facing towards the door, saw who came in. she stepped in and smiled at the girl running around taking orders and giving people their food.

"Danny." Ed called. Danny turned her head and blushed when she saw who called. "Hey." he said as she slowly made her way to his table.

"Hey, Edward." she mumbled, "What are you doing here?" she fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve.

"Eating dinner with a girl I met on a train, why don't you join us? She knows about the case, so you could say something if you must. Or we could just talk, you know, I do that a lot nowadays." he laughed and turned to Celeste. "This is Danny, she got assigned to me today to help me look for Al."

"Cool, so not only did you get promoted you got a partner? That sounds interesting, what else happened today?" the Celeste asked, Danny moving in closer to see the girl.

"I found out that I don't know why I grow my hair out." Edward told her.

"Danny," Celeste slid over, "you can sit next to me, if you want." Danny nodded and sat down next to the Drachman girl. "What do you do?" she asked the black haired girl. "Your skill."

"Um, I got my state certification two months ago. I guess my alchemical skill is to draw upon water, gather it." she told the other girl . "What about you, what do you do?"

"Nothing right now. I used to play violin around Drachma, but now I travel." Celeste answered Danny. "I ran into Ed on the train to East City, he was doing a piano concert on top of the city hall."

"Ah, but I cannot run around anymore. I am put back on my leash as a dog of the military." Ed said dramatically. "I cannot fathom the stupidity of the one who caused this."

Celeste smiled at his joke and grabbed her coat and violin case. "Danny can I get out, I want to go see if I can remember to play this right." Danny stood and Celeste got out of her seat.

"Wait, Celeste, can I come. I want to hear you play, with you right there, the last time I heard your music your father was yelling quite loudly." Ed mumbled on as he stood to follow Celeste. He turned to Danny, "Come with?" Danny smiled and followed the others out and to a close area with benches around.

OoO

Celeste sat on the bench alone, Ed and Danny standing a few feet away. Celeste held the bow in her right hand instrument in left, her eyes were closed and her face showing deep concentration. Her eyes opened and her face softened, "I can't do it." she said. Ed sighed and snatched the violin away from her. He settled it and pulled the bow across the strings. It was a melody, a song of the soul, cries of the sky.

It ended too soon, the song died and the girls looked at him in astonishment, "The words of my heart, they can be found in my music." he whispered and handed Celeste her violin back, "Where's yours? Do you not have a song, is it gone? Did it leave with your hand? Because I know something like that is ridiculous, I lost my arm and leg, I still walk and play my music, I use my alchemy and I look for my brother." he pointed at the violin, "Why do you still have that if you can't do it?"


	2. Chapter 2

The words stung. Celeste looked down at the thing in her hands. He was right, no matter how much it hurt, she couldn't play. She felt she couldn't control her hand and it became reality, she couldn't . Celeste didn't sleep that night. The thoughts were her nightmares.

OoO

She around her home as she put together a small breakfast and put on her uniform. She had left after the yelling started, but because of that and the worry of a case which was personal with the leader of the mission she had overslept. She ran around and hit her shin on the coffee table, letting out a few choice words and grabbed her boots from the floor.

When her phone started ringing she sighed and headed to the kitchen. She didn't have time to answer when a yell came through, "Baske, get your ass to the station now!" it was Edward, her boss. She was supposed to be at the station soon and she was a good fifteen minute run away.

"I'm on my way." she said and promptly hung up. After putting on her blue getup and tying the combat boots she ran out of the apartment, towards the station.

The easiest way to put her trek was, danger. God only knows how many times she had almost been hit by a truck.

Ed was talking to Celeste, who seemed more or less shy or sad about something. Maybe she had missed something when she left. When she approached the two and Ed turned to her and spoke, "It's about time, what took you?" he asked her.

"I'm sorry I was running a bit slow today." Danny told him and looked at the train, "Should we get on?"

"Yes, go, move!" Ed ushered the girls to the door between the cars and got on. The girls walked around and sat in a seat when the girls slid in together. He sat across from the girls, and spread himself across the seat.

As the girls whispered to each other about why Danny was late, Ed opened his pocketbook and read his notes over again, like there was somewhere an imperfection.

"Danny," Celeste whispered to the girl.

"Yes?" she asked and Celeste glanced at Ed before answering.

"Do you think we're going to Dublith for a reason?" she asked Danny and the other girl shrugged.

"I'm just following orders, but if I had to say so, yes. We're definitely going for a reason." Danny told Celeste and the pale girl nodded and rubbed her thumb across the case of her violin. Danny saw her blush and wondered what would cause a reaction like that.

OoO

Without much warning, Danny was jostled awake. It appeared the train had stopped in a side town, a few miles out of Dublith. Celeste was pushing Danny out of the seat and dragging her along as they follow Ed.

Every now and then he would glance back at them. The two girls walked hand in hand as they followed him and kept a good distance away. When he stopped her lightly clapped his hands together before touching his uniform, watching it mold into regular city clothes, he did it to Danny as well; then made Celeste's jacket a dirty brown color.

"Don't say anything while we're here. Danny, don't even act like you've been near a military base. Theses people hate the military way too much." Ed mumbled the last part barely loud enough to hear.

As they walked into the town the girls noticed that the women never uttered a word, this place seemed like it was controlled by the men. To anyone's surprise, Ed led them into a tavern and smiled.

"Broadski." he called. A man soon came around and beamed.

"Edmund Law." he drew on, "It has been too long." the older man patted Ed on the back and handed him a key. "The room is yours tonight."

Ed smiled and the man, but as soon as they were up the stairs and out of sight his face showed pure disgust. At the top of the stairs and down a small hall there was a door, Ed used the key the man had given him and it opened up to a big room.

"You can do anything as long as you don't talk too loud or leave." he said, shutting the door behind him.

"Ed, why are we here?" Danny asked keeping her voice low to follow orders.

"It's not a good day in Dublith." he answered quietly. Taking a seat on one of the chairs he removed his coat and sat it across his lap. The girls watched him, something had happened.

OoO

It was the day she had done it, the day she had lost almost everything. The hair she had in dreads was pulled back and her normally white blouse was switched with a modest black one. Mourning every year had become a ritual for some time now, Sig let her and was in charge of the shop with the assistant. She smoked the incense burn in one room and cried in another. She didn't want to live that day every year.

That one transmutation haunted her, human transmutation. She was glad Ed hadn't arrived yet, she didn't want her student to look at her like that. With pity, feeling of superiority, her being weaker than him. She never wanted that, she had basically raised him and his brother to be the men they are today.

OoO

Edward had stayed up the night before, he had talked to truth. He had asked for forgiveness upon Teacher. Truth was his God, the one he prayed to, begged to, and worked for.

He had walked out of the damned town and paid for a carriage into Dublith, carrying the still half asleep girls with him. When the horses started moving the two fell asleep on each other, to the rhythmic beet of the hooves. Ed opened his newest edition of notes, he had begun researching behaviors. The subject had intrigued him, captured his interest, the human behavior was so full of things.

He wrote down his observation on the two girls, that they had some kind of connection, click or something like that, a similarity in the two. It was fascinating to watch them, listen. He had done it the whole time the two had been together. It was strange how they could talk so openly. Men weren't like that at all.

Ed couldn't wait to see Teacher either, he wanted to see her with that motherly glare of hatred. Because once he remembered the date of her sin was so close he could get that image of her out of his head, no matter how he tried to see her.

Celeste opened her violet eyes and saw Ed, he was looking at his ungloved hand. "May I?" she asked him and he looked up at her.

"Sure." he said and Celeste moved across the seats to sit next to him. He held his right hand out to her and she grasped it lightly. Ed let her hold his hand, she look surprised at the workmanship.

"Your mechanic is good at his job." she told him and he stifled a laugh. "What?"

"My mechanic is a she." he told her and Celeste blushed.

"I'm sorry." she said and let his hand go. She moved back and looked at the floor.

"It's fine. She's just some gear head, don't wanna see her half the time." he sighed and slumped into the chair.

"Oh, really? How long has she been doing your pieces?" Celeste asked him and his face darkened a little.

"Since I was eleven, with her grandmother." he told her and rubbed his left hand on his knee, above the placement of the port.

"What about her parents?" Celeste asked another question and allowed a confused expression on her face.

"Died in the civil war."

"Soldiers?" she asked after his answer.

"Doctors. They stayed after they were supposed to evacuate, their killer's a diplomat now. Went flying up the ranks." he said and smiled. "What about you? Have any particular mechanic?"

"No, I don't. how do you know so much about your mechanic?"

"Family friends. My dad was her grandmother's drinking partner and my brother and I were raised with her." he looked at his arm, "She's crazy about her work. That's why she's so good at her job." he looked at Celeste and smiled, "We could find you a good forever mechanic, if we go see her. She works in Rush Valley, city of automail!"

Celeste blushed at the offer, "That would be amazing." she thought about finally having a single complete piece of automail.

OoO

"I'll meet the two of you at this address three, okay?" Ed handed them each a piece of paper with an identical address on it. They were just outside Dublith, and Edward was intent on leaving the two to their own devices. Ed walked away and began towards the club.

OoO

The Devil's Nest was still going and a joint full of chimera, old and new. When Edward walked in a few heads turned. The newer chimera recognized his smell and began to take defensive positions, but a few others settled them down, saying a few words before the others backed down.

"I'll tell the boss you're here, Ed." one very big chimera with dark skin said and walked through another door. Edward muttered a word in response and leaned on the counter.

He was still getting funny looks, the mixed breed of human and animal sniffing at him. The obviously wondered why a human like him was in here, the thought stopped when s familiar face came into the room. "Edward!" the gorilla chimera patted Ed on the shoulder.

"Darius!" he replied with a smile. The men conversed under the constant watch of the others, suspicious glares all over.

"That's it! I won't do it any more. Darius, this guy is military, I can smell it on him!" a small pale girl yelled and then lunged at Edward, only to have Darius catch her around the waist and set her down away from her target.

"I know, but he's a friend." he turned to the golden haired boy, "Edward, this is Makayla, the daughter of one of my friends." he said, then to Makayla, "This is Edward, back during the second war, he risked his life and became a fugitive to help us escape the military. He would never betray us, I know someone who would kill you for it." he said the last to Ed and smiled.

"Yeah," he sighed, "I stayed in the other town last night because I forgot about Teacher. Do you think she'll be okay?"

"You should see her soon, I saw her this morning and she still looks like yesterday." Darius told the other and held his hand out to Ed, "I'll see you before you leave."

Ed shook his hand and smiled, walking up the small stairs he heard Darius called out for luck. He headed to Teacher's house, he opened his pocket watch and saw it was only a few minutes before three in the afternoon. The girls should be there soon.

As he walked around back to the house he saw Izumi, looking like she had been practicing alone for some time. She was out of breath and her body gleamed with sweat.

"Teacher," Ed spoke and the woman looked at him. She was surprised at how she saw him, he looked broken, something only she would notice.

"Edward, what happened?" she asked and quickly walked to her loyal student.

"Al is gone, he went missing a few weeks ago." he told her his voice starting to break. The woman ignored the rest and pulled him into an embrace.

"We'll find him, Ed." she told the younger one. Ed nodded at he stood there in her arms.

OoO

The girls met up and walked down the road of the address, it was quiet and a short road. A few children here and there playing in their yards.

They walked around and saw a butcher shop listed as the address, the sign read closed though, so the girls walked around back and almost gasped in shock at what they saw. The woman was obviously older, she was hugging Edward and he seemed to be a little shocked as well. She spoke something to him that the girls didn't hear. Their steps broke the special moment between the two and Ed looked at them.

"Hey, girls." he said and stepped back behind the woman who walked quickly to the newly arrived persons.

"Hmm," she glared at the two and suddenly whirled on Danny.

Danny barely missed Teacher's attack and didn't have time to try and retaliate. The woman struck again at her and got Danny in the arm.

"Teacher, what are you doing?" Edward asked Izumi as he pulled Celeste away.

"Well, I don't want to fight you today so another alchemist will do." Teacher called back. Ed sighed and jumped in front of Danny.

"Come on, I need a good sparring partner Teach," he held up a defensive stance and attacked the woman's legs. When she fell she used the advantage of being down to sweep his legs from under him as well. When Ed fell, Izumi jumped back up and sprinted to Danny but it came.

Ed caught teacher ad she fell, the blood dripping from her mouth. He sighed, "Celeste can you go in there and call for Sig or Mason?" he asked and Celeste scurried away. Danny knelt next to Ed and Teacher.

"What happened, will she be okay?" Danny asked Edward and he smiled.

"Sure, it happens a lot around here." he said and picked Teacher up, trying to cradle her head on his arm and focusing on not dropping her while he walked towards the door at the back of the house.

Mason looked curiously at Ed when he walked in with teacher. "Hey, Al, that you?"

"Ed, Mason, Ed." the taller Elric smiled and sat Izumi in a chair, who was starting to wipe her face with the back of her hand.

"So, it happened again? Thank you for bringing me in Edward." Teacher said and looked at Mason, "Why don't you get supper ready, tell Sig Ed's here." Mason nodded to his boss ands walked out of the room.

"So who are theses ladies?" Izumi asked, not to any direct person, just wanting an answer.

"I'm Danny Baske, the Scarred Sky Alchemist. Nice to meet you." Danny held her hand out to Izumi.

"I won't shake with a dog, especially one who can't stand up for itself. Not one who makes my most adored pupil fight for it." Izumi said sternly.

"I'm Celeste Bankov, a friend of Ed's." Celeste smiled and Izumi, to her surprise, held out her hand.

"Izumi Curtis, housewife." the two shook hands, Izumi only let it last a second before she turned to Ed. "So why are these young ladies with you, Edward?"

"I guess Celeste is with me for music and Danny is here because she's my partner in the mission to find Al." Ed let the words glide of his tongue. "What else is there?"

"Hmm, I don't know Edward. So, my dearest associate. I was meaning to discuss something with you, what do you think of the construction of this circle?" Izumi asked her former student and showed him a piece of parchment with and alchemical circle on it.

"Put a line there and there." Danny said sliding her finger on the paper.

"No, the symbol for hydrogen here is one thing messing up the circle. Another line would make it worse. Diaminophosphene Oxide would be the symbol you need, the magnetic reaction you would get from it would make the circle stronger, and all in all, the outcome greater. Simple." Edward corrected Danny the girl's brow curled as she thought about it.

"Thanks Ed, I couldn't figure out why is wasn't working." Izumi wrote down the work on the side and looked at Danny. The girl was thinking hard, obviously struck at her incorrectness.

Edward thought of something and grabbed a piece of paper off of the counter and began to draw a circle, drawing the attention of the other alchemists. He leaned back and the women observed the circle, "This would be the simpler way of performing that transmutation. There would be a smaller window for mistake."

"How do you know?" Danny asked skeptically.

"I have all faith in my work. If I was wrong I would get on my knees and beg you for forgiveness." Ed honestly answered.

"Then let's find out, if my way of doing it is better than yours." she said cockily. Ed sighed and handed her a piece of paper, she copied down the original and edited it herself. Ed led Danny outside and placed his on the ground, Celeste and Izumi followed out to watch.

Danny stepped back and watched as Ed drew a replica of his own on a piece of concrete. He lightly put his hands together and lay them on the circle. Energy coursed through the ground, sparks of electricity swirling around.

The outcome of the transmutation, what Ed had predicted, a small magnetic ball that Ed had envisioned it as, became.

"Well, that was nice, but it is so small." Danny said and smirked as Edward stepped away. She drew her circle a few feet away from where Ed had and slammed her hands onto it.

Crackling sounds roused her excitement, but as the reaction came into place she was tackled by Izumi and saw Edward, out of the corner of her eye, clapping hardly and landing his hands on the ground near the transmutation. The reaction quickly stopping and the blowing of the electricity ceasing, Edward's bangs dying down to his forehead.

"What the hell!" Danny yelled and Izumi slapped Danny across the face.

"He told you that your way was going to make it worse!" the teacher yelled and pulled Danny, who was trying to stand, to her knees. "No apologize." Izumi bowed her head a little bit, Danny following suit.

"No, she was wrong. I know, but we're equals. Raise your heads, you too Izumi. It's embarrassing." Ed said and helped the women up.

"I am sorry Edward, I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. Just listen and observe more often, if you're ever absolutely positive go ahead. I just don't like it when you argue with me, because I know I'm right most of the time." Edward held Danny's arm at the elbow and made sure she looked at him.

"What do you mean almost?" she asked, back on her high horse. But when Ed looked at her, he had a stern look on his face but only his face, his eyes showed pain or hurt.

"That we make mistakes." he replied and stalked off, fuming with anger. Izumi hit her again.

"Don't ask him about that. Wait for him to tell you, asking yourself will demolish his trust." the teacher told Danny and walked back into her home.

OoO

Celeste walking in and saw that Edward was on the phone. She was going to keep going and head to the other room but she glanced at him and saw a single tear trail down his cheek.

He said something to the other person and hung up. That was when he noticed Celeste was there, he feigned a smile but saw on her face that she new he was faking.

"Ed, are you okay?" she asked walking up to him and looking in his eyes, so sorrowful and angry at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm fine it's just arrogance find me always, either in myself or others and when something happens I end up remembering things. Things I don't want to remember, ever." he told her and she smiled.

"Why don't you tell me, I can listen. Then use a little of your equivalent exchange and I'll talk to you about my problems. Or at least what I haven't already told you." Celeste suggested.

"Yeah, why not." Ed held her automail hand in his, and led her to the study, somewhere no one would interrupt a serious talk, one that he probably needed to say things in. one that he had almost had with her father, but unfortunately had been interrupted.

"So, to start off, why does arrogance bother you? Where did it start?" Celeste asked.

"I guess it started when alchemy began for me." Ed told her and she sat across from him.

OoO

Danny sat across from Mason, the man reading something. Izumi said that she heard Celeste and Ed were talking and told Danny to stay away. She was still thinking about the look in his eyes and how the teacher had reacted to it. Like how she had acted caused something. And she felt bad about it.

**AN; I hate you people. This is not fun. It takes too long and that gets on my nerves, I should give up. But hey, no one knows me and I feel the need to expand my writing out there capabilities! Sooooooooo, my only request(besides reading this)is to help and review, constructive comments appreciated!**


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